Thursday, 20 September 2012

Boycotting Filofax: What are your options?

I've just read the letter David Popely has written to Helena Bloomer of SlamPR. It seems many Filofax fans are outraged, for want of a better word, at the way Filofax organisers have been labelled as a 'fashion' item. I have to say I strongly agree.

So with this in mind, I entered the beautiful world of Paperchase organisers. They have added some new designs since I last looked, and it's very tempting to click the Add to Basket button, but I think a few more weeks consideration are needed...

Paperchase have released some very cute and very pretty Filofax alternatives, this one shown above is their Spring Scene mini organiser. Very cheerful, quite youthful so maybe not everyone's cup of tea. This organiser is 145mm x 115mm x 30mm so it's not a standard Filofax size, it would take some testing to find out which size Filofax refills fit in these organisers.

Among their other designs are a very cutesy orange owl organiser with pink guts, and a cute little keyring of an owl. Owls are very 'in' at the moment, aren't they?!

If you're not a fan of a brightly coloured tweet, well, here's something a little more discreet... This organiser reminds me of the canvas style ones Filofax produce but the pattern is a little more quirky. It's called Stop Watching and is a canvas mini organiser.

Some really smart embossed patterns too, I'm a fan of all of these... There are 21 different Paperchase organisers in total, so there really is something for everyone. Unfortunately never having owned one of these myself I'm not sure what the quality is like, but as these are all much more affordable than any Filofax, it won't break the bank finding out.

Paperchase also supply their own range of inserts, which are cheaper than Filofax ones, and are just as good, if not better quality than the Filofax brand ones:

Standard 2013 organiser refill is only £5.00 (WO2P) compared to Filofax £7.50. I have this insert for 2012 and it works very well, the paper is lined so you can write your tasks neatly, and it's easier to read.

Not only do you get the diary pages for the whole year, you also get a set of 6 dividers, to-do lists, timetables, and a selection of lined and plain paper inserts.
These will all fit in any Filofax personal size organiser. They also do their own to-do list paper, lined paper, plained paper etc. for you to purchase for your organiser. All of their organisers have a large pocket at the back which is open at the top and on the inner side, and four card slots for credit cards or business cards.

For those of you who want to move away from a 'file of facts', there are some great planners out there that can be used instead. A great website I found is KTwo Products. They have a variety of planners for different things, including recipe files, wedding planners, childhood memories books, etc. The one shown here is the Busy Life Diary 2013, which has two schedules side by side, one for home, and one for work life. Also, I got a bit excited when I saw the matching sticky notes...

A similar alternative to the Busy Life Diary is from Boxhouse; a Life Book diary. It spans over 18 months so you can keep all those important dates for next year safe where they belong. If you're someone who plans ahead this has got to be useful! It's A5 with a hardback cover, has a week-to-view layout, space for shopping lists, menu planning, to-do lists, and includes themed stickers for those events you don't want to forget. You can also choose whether you want to add a pen loop. They also do a Family Life Book to keep the whole bunch organised!

And if you're looking for something a little more luxurious, look no further than Kate Spade. Unfortunately they only ship within the US but if you have a friend who is willing to accept your delivery and post it on to you, you shouldn't have a problem. This mustard leather is not everyone's cup of tea, but some people just like horrible tea =)

7 comments:

They're very cute. However, I'm a little confused. Why would someone boycott Filofax over the concept of "fashion organizer" only to turn to.... another fashion organizer? If you're admiring these organizers because of their colors and designs.... that's fashion. (?)

Songbird68 - I think there are two different kinds of fashion. There is fashion, as in things that are trendy and cute, but are still within normal people's range. Then there is Fashion, which is the world of designers and fashion magazines. I wouldn't think those Paperchase binders would come anywhere close to Fashion, but they may be quite fashionable. Since I don't know the prices, though, I could be wrong.

Hi Hannah, the Paperchase binders are very affordable, the Springtime and embossed ones are only £11, the owl one is £20 but it is leather, the clock one is also £11, and the red embossed one is £15, so they're pretty good value for money!